We make the planning process as easy as possible for our clients with plans that are highly regarded for their precision and clarity.

The Early Stages

Building a new home, or renovating your current one, is one of the biggest financial commitments you will make. With this in mind, you should take the time to consider certain things that are important to you.

At N A Hill Designs, we take pride in delivering your dream home, starting with your ideas and making them a reality. We will help you develop a flexible design that fits your lifestyle and reflects your current requirements, while also accommodating for potential future changes such as a growing family.

What are your needs?

Spend some time identifying the fundamental elements of your project. Rather than rushing into the most exciting part, the actual design of your floor plan, start off with the basics. Spend some time identifying your building needs and, even more critical to your success, your limitations.

Knowing your reasons for moving forward with a new build, and anticipating your future plans, helps you develop a design brief that your designer can turn into a viable house plan. If you are unclear of your requirements or you try to accommodate conflicting needs, you may be disappointed with the outcome.

To get this stage right, consider the following:
– Your budget. You need to have a realistic idea of how much you can afford.
– What you currently want out of your home compared to what you will need in the future.
– Style. Decide whether you want a single, double or a multi-storey home, and choose an architectural style. For example, do you prefer a contemporary or a traditional style home? The type and style of home you want largely influences the house plans and budget.

Developing a design brief

Now you are ready to start thinking about the design of your new home. Taking into consideration the aspects from the first two stages, think about the following inclusions:

– Privacy
– Living spaces
– Furniture
– Home study / Office
– Chef’s / entertainer’s kitchen
– Parent’s / teenager’s retreat
– Guest accommodation
– Games / rumpus / hobby rooms
– Utility room
– Media room / Home theatre
– Storage
– Outdoor spaces
– Access

Determine your budget

Building is not a cheap exercise but with good planning and the right advice from both your designer and builder, you can minimise the chance of a large cost overrun.

A builder will price every part of the build from the drawings but during the design phase, it is impossible to estimate the cost of all works, this is where a square meter (sqm) rate is implemented.

Depending on the size and complexity of the project, and whether it is a new build or a renovation, $1,800 – $2,500/sqm is a good general figure to guide you regarding construction cost.

Once a project progresses this figure can be refined.

Communicating your ideas

Now that you have developed your design briefs and have an idea of budget, you need to convey these to your designer. Here are some great ways to communicate your thoughts:

– Pen and paper. You don’t need to be an architect to draw a simple house plan. Simply put pen to paper and scribble down your ideas.
– Social media. Sites like Pinterest can be fantastic for users to ‘pin’ their favourite images to a virtual pin board and share them. This very popular site is a great resource for effectively communicating your design ideas.
– Existing houses. If you see a house that you love or a style of house you’ve always wanted to live in take a quick photo for reference.

The more information you can give to your designer, the easier it will be to indicate the direction you would like to head in.

The Design Process

Client Brief

This is the basis for your design. This is where you communicate to your designer what you want in your home. Details like budget, styles and photos will all help the designer to understand your end goal. The client brief usually coincides with the first site visit where you designer can assess the requirements of your site.

Fee Proposal

Once the initial site visit and the client brief are completed we will produce a fee proposal. This outlines all design fees involved in the project (excluding council fees, and consultant’s fee).

Concept design

This is a set of plans created from the client brief. The purpose of these is to make sure the overall design is in line with your initial ideas. Details like window placement, materials used etc can be refined once this initial concept has been approved by the client. Any major changes to the plans after the approval of the concept design may incur an additional fee.

Plans

Architectural plans are the next stage, based on the approved concept design that has been refined to include all the information required by council to approve a Development Application (DA).

Once a Development Application (DA) has been approved, a set of Construction Certificate (CC) plans can be issued. This is a more detailed set of plans for your builder and other consultants, such as engineers, to work from.

The Approval Process

Architectural Plans are either submitted to council for the approval of a Development Application OR submitted to a private certifier for approval of a Complying Development Certificate.

Once you have either your DA or your CDC plans go to a licienced engineer to produce engineering documentation.

Once engineering is complete a private certifier will issue a Construction Certificate and your builder will be able to put forward an accurate fee proposal for you.

If you accept the fee proposal construction can commence.

To find out more about N A Hill Designs or for additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would love to hear about your dream project.

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The term ‘building codes’ in Australia refers to the National Construction Code (NCC) which incorporates all on-site construction requirements into one single code. The NCC basically sets out the minimum requirements for the design, construction and performance of new buildings, and new building work on existing dwellings, throughout Australia.

The regulations cover everything from fire safety to energy efficiency and quite a number of regulations will affect how your home is designed and ultimately built. These regulations are mostly concerned with ensuring that liveable areas are safe and healthy.

You might find that some ideas you have for your build need to be tweaked to conform to regulations. This is where our expert knowledge (and that of your builder and contractors) is invaluable, helping you get the result that you want while also ensuring a safe, efficient and legal build.

We have examined just a handful of regulations to demonstrate how they affect building and design.

Windows or not?

Windows come under a few regulations, one of them being “daylighting requirements”. These regulations state that habitable rooms require permanent access to fresh air and natural light. This access is mostly through windows and skylights and requires that windows be of a size equal to at least 10% of the floor area and skylights at least 3%.

Most modern residential designs more than cover these requirements but there might be some rooms where you think windows are unnecessary, for example media rooms and home theatres, or even music rooms.

Habitable rooms are defined as those used for normal domestic activities such as living room, dining room, bedroom, sunroom, play room and so on. This includes media rooms and home theatres, thus making them subject to the daylighting regulations.

Spaces that are not classed as habitable rooms are bathroom, laundry, toilet, pantry, walk-in robe plus hallways and lobbies. Basically any space that isn’t occupied for extended periods of time.

Rooms like bathrooms and laundries are still regulated in respect to adequate ventilation but not by daylighting regulations, meaning windows can be dispensed with if required.

Ceilings, how low can you go?

Ceiling heights are regulated, with the NCC stating that habitable rooms (excluding kitchens) must have a minimum ceiling height of 2.4m. Kitchens, laundries, bathrooms and garages have a lower minimum height, 2.1m, as do hallways and corridors.

If your build includes an attic, more than 50% of the ceiling needs to be, on average, the minimum height. So if the attic was to be used as a habitable room that would be 2.4m. If it is purely for storage you can get away with a 2.1m minimum.

Your minimum ceiling height is typically measured from your floor finishes – your carpet, timber or tiles – so you need to ensure this is taken into consideration in the design process.

Decks and safety.

Regulations come into play outside your home too. If you are keen to add an entertainment deck to your home you will need to take the relevant codes into consideration.

Any deck or verandah that is raised 1 metre or more above the ground is required to have a handrail. At less than 1m it isn’t a requirement but depending on the site of the deck it may still be recommended for safety.

If your deck is over 4m from the ground your handrail needs to conform to additional regulations, including that there must be no climbable elements between 150mm and 760mm of the floor. This means that handrails must not include anything that can be used as a foothold, meaning that horizontal balustrades are out.

The handrail itself must be at least 1m in height with no more than a 125mm clearance from the floor. The space between balustrades should be no more than 125mm to prevent objects (or children) falling through.

There are other regulations that come into play depending on various contributing factors such as location, materials used and so on. For example, if your deck is sited in an area with strong winds, such as a coastal location, you might have to conform to extra regulations around the capacity for load on rails.

Decks and handrails are an area of particular investigation with respect to safety so regulations can be frequently updated. We always ensure we have the latest information at hand when taking on a project.

Bathrooms and wet areas.

There are quite a few regulations when it comes to bathrooms, dictating how a bathtub or shower must be installed and how far it must be from power points (0.6m, with conditions) but one of the most misunderstood areas of bathroom design is the waterproofing required.

Part of this is due to the wonderful interior images we have access to nowadays – great for inspiration but not always conforming to regulations. Bathrooms are the area of your home needing the most waterproofing. This is to protect the structure of your home from water damage which can occur unnoticed and can be extremely costly to repair.

Waterproofing regulations are pretty black and white. Entire shower floors need to be waterproofed as do the walls to a height of at least 1800mm. The rest of the bathroom needs the walls waterproofed to a height of least 150mm and if you go for a timber floor, or it is a second storey bathroom, the entire floor must also be waterproofed.

These are the regulated minimum requirements but often it makes sense to waterproof the entire floor and wall areas around the bath, toilet and sinks too. Waterproofing is done in stages so the decisions about waterproofing need to be made in advance.

Kitchen and laundries are also rooms with active plumbing thus needing to comply with waterproofing regulations. Another thing to consider in your kitchen is whether you will have a gas stovetop. While some waterproofing surfaces such as glass and metal splashbacks seem a good choice as they’re not flammable, they are extremely good conductors of heat. If you have these running behind your gas burners your builder may have to take extra precautions to cover regulations and also keep you safe.

We do the hard work.

Building codes can be time consuming to wade through and tough to understand if you are not in the industry. As you can see they also have an impact on both the design of your home and the build. And if they are not taken into account in the final design phase they can lead to expensive changes down the track.

At N A Hill it is imperative for all our jobs that we are familiar with, and experienced at working within, the current national codes. There are also codes that apply to only some regions and your build may need to be checked against these.

Ultimately building codes are there to protect you and ensure your home is safe. We will incorporate them as we design your home and only mention them, by way of explanation, if they have an impact on your vision.

If you have any questions regarding particular construction codes please don’t hesitate to ask us.

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If you have that perfect beachside block, or perhaps you want the aesthetic but don’t necessarily have the view, here are a few things we think are worth considering in the design phase.

Wamberal & Terrigal NSW

Stick to a simple layout

In your coastal home the view is the star of many rooms. Keeping your layout simple and open allows for an easy flow between spaces, minimising interruption to your stunning location.

By far the most popular layout for coastal homes is open plan, and with good reason. An open plan layout creates a sense of space and light. It also fits the lifestyle. Incorporating generous amounts of negative space means you can move around comfortably and allows easy access to the outdoors.

Coastal style living spaces often blend seamlessly with outdoor areas. Having great, usable outdoor living ‘rooms’ is one of the most desirable aspects of a well designed coastal home, so it’s well worth incorporating.

Some rooms need a little separation. If the home is purely for holidays you could take the open plan idea to the extreme, but if you’re living in the home permanently you will want some private areas. Having separate areas for bedrooms means that you can create calm, enclosed spaces away from the main living. And if they come with the relaxing sound of crashing waves, all the better!

More on outdoor areas …

When considering decks and entertainment areas thinking big usually pays off. As with internal rooms, small spaces can be difficult to use and difficult to furnish. If your vision is for big, family barbecues after a day at the beach, ensure you have plenty of room to spread out.

Think about inclusions, like an outdoor kitchen and a bathroom accessible from the outdoor areas, that make outdoor areas more usable. Storage is also a consideration, and if you surf or SUP you will want easy access to your boards and general beach paraphernalia. You are much more likely to utilise outdoor spaces and your location if everything is ready at hand.

And don’t forget the outdoor shower to wash away the days’ sand, the ultimate coastal home inclusion.

Windows and glass doors

Glazing is expensive, particularly if you’re looking at large-span windows and doors. But it also forms part of the light and bright coastal style we love. It captures views, should you lucky enough, floods the space with light and allows easy access to outdoor areas.

Innovative use of glass, along with energy efficient glazing, is vital to keep your home comfortable and to ensure power costs are kept down. Louvre windows are a great option for catching those sea breezes and providing ventilation as are clerestory feature windows.

Materials

Coastal homes usually call for a natural palette, and the combination of lots of white paint and natural timber finishes is an enduringly popular one. It not only suits the lifestyle but often complements the location.

Finishes like external weatherboards (either timber or an alternative material for extra durability) bring a beach house feel and go well with natural timbers. Or consider painted feature timber cladding for a retro look and a dose of beach shack chic.

Timber floors or tiles fit the aesthetic and are also a practical choice for sandy toes. Consider seamlessly blending them with outdoor areas for an even more spacious feel.

Privacy

Coastal style homes typically have a lot of windows and generous outdoor living. It’s what we love about them and why they truly fit our coastal lifestyle. But the reality is that we usually share space or boundaries with others, and while you might like an outdoor shower overlooking the surf, beach goers might be less impressed!

You don’t have to sacrifice that feeling of endless, unfettered space for privacy. Clever design and good use of space can have you feeling like there’s nobody else for miles around. Considerations like floor plan, orientation and screening can make all the difference.

Cold weather

Although beach houses and coastal homes have summer in mind, there’s few things nicer than being cosy and warm and taking in a stormy ocean view. Ensure your home embraces all the seasons.

In our climate outdoor living is possible all year round and there’s several ways you can ensure you have a warm, sunny spot for your winter morning coffee.

Big, open spaces are notoriously difficult to heat. You might consider including a “snug” into your floor plan, purely for winter evenings. Or utilise sliding walls to enclose some spaces.

The orientation of your home, the design, and the thermal mass of materials used, can have a huge impact on the heating needed through winter. Ideally your home should be comfortable and make the most of its location year round.

At N A Hill Designs we have designed many beautiful coastal homes that are also practical and timeless. If you have any questions about how to create the perfect coastal home for your lifestyle feel free to call or email us.

The post Creating a Coastal Home appeared first on N A HILL Designs.

Why a granny flat?

Do you have an aging family member you need to provide for? Or an adult child who needs some independence? Or … are you looking to make some extra cash by renting out a secondary dwelling on your property? Or perhaps becoming an Airbnb super host?

An affirmative answer to any of the above means that adding a granny flat to your property could be the perfect solution for you.

Access.

The next thing to consider is your block’s suitability and access. If you are building to accommodate a family member separate access might not be an issue, but if you are building to rent you might want to ensure that everyone has some privacy.

Properties on a corner block or with back lane access are perfect, but there are ways to incorporate access on standard blocks. Discuss access with your designer – it is a consideration that should inform the overall design.

Available space.

For rentals in particular you need to ensure you have enough space to avoid the two properties encroaching on each other, particularly if the main dwelling is also a rental. The idea is to create maximum income from your investment without affecting your initial investment or income. Often your designer can suggest innovative ways to maximise the potential of your site.

You also need to consider where the services for your existing home are. Power, water, stormwater drains, sewers, easements and more can all have an influence on your build and on approvals. Again, your designer can help you with this.

Speaking of approvals …

Council requirements differ across regions and states. In NSW there is nothing too problematic and in many cases you can have a building certifier approve the build without the need for lodging a development application. Your designer can walk you through the approvals process or take it on as part of the contract.

The fun part.

Once you have dealt with these initial considerations you can start working with your designer to flesh out your granny flat design. Bear in mind that NSW has a maximum square meterage of 60sqm for these kinds of secondary dwellings.

Choosing a style.

Many things can influence the style of your build, including the existing dwelling. Usually a style that sympathises with the dwelling, or with the position on the block, is best. You might like something that imitates the style of the main home, or you might choose something completely different that blends with the garden. The choices are literally endless.

You can go to your designer with a good idea of what you want – any reference material you have is a great start. Equally, the conversation can start with a blank page. Your designer should be able to gauge what might work for you and put forward some suggestions.

Inclusions.

Granny flats can be simple one room structures – basically a freestanding bedroom, rather like the garages converted for teenagers in the 80s – or they can feature multiple rooms plus amenities. Many are simply small homes, with bathroom, kitchen, living and one or two bedrooms.

Also think about other inclusions your granny flat might need. These could include features like outdoor living areas, storage, landscaping and parking space. Or they might be specific to the intended use – for example if you intend to accommodate an elderly relative you will have to consider their level of mobility, both now and in the future.

Cost and investment.

A sympathetic design and quality materials are more likely to add value to your property over time. Although it’s not advisable to skimp on construction materials, clever use of space and selection of interior finishes can definitely keep money in your pocket. This is where a good understanding with your designer is invaluable.

As with any building project it is important to get it right on ‘paper’ before you break soil. Your designer can take your site and needs into consideration and deliver a bespoke result, tailoring it exactly to your needs.

Having a good idea of what you are up for from the beginning is obviously important, particularly if you’re looking for an income stream. And prices can vary greatly with granny flats depending on style and size. Your designer will work with you and your budget.

Lastly …

If you don’t have that patch of scrappy lawn down the back of your block, maybe think about going up. Remember The Fonz’s flat over the Cunningham’s garage? It might be the perfect option for that noisy teenager or those regular visitors!

Talk to NA Hill Designs about the many options available for granny flats and secondary dwellings, and what might be right for you.

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